Book Title: Jain Shwetambar Conference Herald 1911 Book 07
Author(s): Mohanlal Dalichand Desai
Publisher: Jain Shwetambar Conference
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જેન કેન્ફરન્સ હેરલ્ડ.
[ એપ્રીલ
extinct entity. Under the circumstances for our very existence it is necessary that we must assimilate, combine, co-operate, forgetting all our difference. And brothers! I assure you the differences are not great, they can be bridged over if liberal mind attends to it. It is a singular coincidence that there is no difference in the fundamental principles of any of the subsection or the subsection of the Jain Community. It is very difficult, almost impossible to persuade a so called orthodox Jain layman or Sadhu to have a clear perception of the difference, between fundamental points and points for perfection. The one goes to the very core of the matter, the others are chaffs, as compared with the substance inherent in the former. To an orthodox mind holding of stick in a particular fashion is as sacred a principle as the existence of Soul in the body. But a man who has received liberal education can at once see the difference between the two and its relative value. It is useless, almost hopeless, to argue on such points with our elders: but we must not lose sight of the basic principles impelling them to that mode of think-, ing. It is their innate love of dogmas which they are taught to respect at any cost uuder any given set of circumstances. The emotion is worth preserving and worth uuderstanding, and worth appreciating, but the sting of it should be taken off in the interests of all of us. None should give up his principles for the sake of others but at the same time development of a society should be wc rked up step by step and not by flights as in the latter case there is likelihood of a sudden downfall and a great retrograde motion. In our case also the elders should be respected for their sacrifice faith and age, they must be woked out to the goal step by step. Ours is a movement a step forward in that direction aud as such it is welcome.
The advantages of this movement towards cooperation, restraint, unnecessary waste of energy and its
